PMDC extends moratorium on new medical and dental colleges

KARACHI – Prof Dr Tariq Rafi, Vice Chancellor, Jinnah Sindh Medical University (JSMU), expressed his concern on PMDC’s decision to extend moratorium on new medical and dental colleges saying Pakistan is already facing shortage of dentists as only 16,000 dentists are registered in the country. He said 16,000 dentists are not enough to cater to the country’s entire population.

He said out of total registered dentists, a good number of doctors have left the country for better prospects and a large number of dentists have also retired from their posts. He said if the PMDC continues the moratorium on establishment of new medical and dental colleges, how could we be able to fill the shortage of faculties and academicians in the country. Graduated students of medical and dental colleges will become teachers in future; so new colleges are necessary for the promotion of medical education.

He said; PMDC should continue moratorium on opening of new medical and dental colleges in the private sector, which charge around 0.7 million rupees per student annually. But it should allow government medical universities to open new medical and dental colleges as their ratio of fees is much lower as compared to that of private sector. He said PMDC’s decision would badly affect medical universities likely to launch medical and dental colleges soon.

Ex-President, Pakistan Medical Association (PMA Center), Dr Muhammad Azhar Khan Jadoon said that Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) had taken a right step by extending moratorium on opening of new medical and dental colleges for further two year because of shortage of faculties and academicians as existing colleges are already facing.

He said PMDC’s current body had issued No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) to a good number of new colleges over the last few years. He said PMDC statutes and elections were dubious. The regulatory body has no legal status.

He said now the PMDC’s same group has initiated work to establish Sindh Medical and Dental Council. He said PMDC is a regulatory body and its power can’t be devolved onto the provinces under 18th Amendment.

Dental is part of the Medical News Group of publications which in 1968 became the pioneer of medical journalism in Pakistan. Medical News is the only periodical in Pakistan which has 3 simultaneous editions from Karachi, Islamabad and online.